Improvement in breech-loading fire-arivis



,. 2 Sheets--Sheet1. A. T. FREEMAN.

Breech-Loading Fire-Arms.

Pafented Dec-10,1872.

AM PHOTU-LITHDGHAPHIC CO./V. f(osaamvsls PRGDESS] 2'Sheets- Sheet 2 A.T.- FREEMAN.

Breech-Loading Fire-Arms.

No. 133,770 Patented Dec. 10,1872.

a J "19a? i 4 4 F: v

UNITE Sr'rs AUSTIX T. FREEMAN, OF HERKIMER, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF HISRIGHT.

TO E. REMINGTON 8U SONS, OFILION, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT EN BREECH-LCADING FIRE-ARMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 133,770, dated December10, 1872.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, AUSTIN T. FREEMAN, of Herkimer, in the county ofHerkimer and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements on Breech- Loading Arms; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawing making part of this specification,in which---' Figure 1, Plate 1, is a view of the right-hand side of thearm with portions of the frame and barrel broken away, Fig. 2, Plate 1,is a top view of the same, showing the breech-block in line with thebarrel; Fig. 3, Plate 1, is a similar view of the same parts shown inFig. 2, indicating the breech-block turned at right angles to thebarrel; Fig. 4, Plate 2, is a vertical section taken longitudinallythrough the arm with the hammer down Fig. 5, Plate 2, is a perspectiveview of the hammer and its breech-block lock; Fig. 6,P1ate 2, is arear-end viewof the breech-block; Fig. 7, Plate 2, is a bottom view ofthe breech-block and Fig. 8, Plate 2, is a perspectiveviewoftheretractor.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the severalfigures.

This invention relates to certain novel improvements inbreech-loadingfire-arms wherein a horizontally-vibrating breech-block iscombined with a cartridge'she'll extractor, which will extract theshells when the said breech-block is turned at or nearly at right anglesto the line of the barrel, as will be hereinafter explained.

The following description of my invention will enable others skilled inthe art to understand it.

In the accompanying drawing, A represents the frame of the piece, whichis constructed with a flat horizontal surface, b, terminating at one endin a re-enforce, a, and at the other end in a recoil-shoulder, a.Between the menforce and recoil-shoulder, and lying flatly upon thesurface I), is a breech-block or closer, G, which is connected to theframe A by means of a vertical pivot, G, the axis of which is a littleto the left-hand side of a plane intersectin g the longitudinal axis ofthe barrel B. The rear end 0 of the breech-block is the segment of acircle concentric to the axis of the pivot G, and when the block is inline with the barrel B its rear end 0 is snugly received by acorrespondingly curved surface on the recoil-shoulder a, as shown inFig. 2. The front end of the block 0 presents on its left side anoblique or beveled camface, c and on its right side a laterally-extendedlingerpiece, 0 while between this piece and said cam-surface is theclosingportion c for the breech of the barrel, which lies beneath aholding-down boss, I), on the rear end of the barrel, where the block 0is in line with the barrel. Inside of this breech-block O is afiringpin, which consists of a stem, 9, terminated at its front end in areduced striking portion, and at its rear end in a thick portion, 9which is struck by the hammer D. This firing-pin is arrangedlongitudinally with respect to the block 0, and allowed to receiveendwise play, and it is kept in place by a screw, 9 shown in Fig. 4.. Inrear of the recoil-shoulder a. is the hammer D, the segmental portion Dof which is pivoted inside of the frame A, by means of a transverse pin,8. The nose or exposed striking portion of this hammer strikes over thetop of the recoil-shoulder against the raised or right-angular portionof the firing pin, which portion is received into the raised portion 0of the breechblock. The hammer segment D is notched atj for receivingthe front end of the mainspring J. It is also notched at f f forreceiving the trigger S on a full and half cook. The trigger Sis pivotedat s, and acted on by a spring, 01. The front edge of the segment D isgrooved at cl, which.

leaves lips r, 1", and r. Opposite the lip r is a movablelip or lock, L,which is formed on a hub, l, and fitted into a recess, 1, so as tovibrate about the pivot 8. At the lower termination of the front edge ofthe segment D is a tooth, 9 which, in the act of full-cocking thehammer, will strike against'a tooth, 9 on the firing-pin, and draw backthis pin, as indicated by the dotted lines, Fig. 4.. The rear end of thebreech-block G is notched at n, and cut away sufficiently to receiveinto it a portion of the front edge of the hammer-segment D, which willsecurely lock the said segment in the position represented in Figs. 1,.2, and 4. When the hammer is raised to a half-cock a notch, y, will bebrought opposite or in line against the said extracting portion 0.

with the notch a, and allow the breech-block to be swung around, asindicated by Fig. 3; but when thehammer is lowered from a full to a haltcock the lock L will be brought in line with the two notches a y, andprevent below the breech-block, where it will remain until the hammer isfull-cocked. For the purpose of extracting the cartridge-shell q,

in the act of exposing the breech of the barrel, I employ an extractor,E, shown in Figs. 4 and 8. This extractor, which is pivoted at 8 byatransv-erse pivot, and which is acted on by a spring, t, consists of asegment, 0 and a curved lever, 0 On the periphery of the segment is theextracting portion 6, which plays in a slot made vertically through theframe A and through the lower portion of the breechot' the barrel, andwhich is a segment of the grooved circle, into which fits the rim aroundI the base of the cartridge-shell. The curved portion 0 of the extractorextends backward, and is acted on by a cam, 0 which is .applied to a nuton the lower end of the pivot 01: the breech-block 0, shown in Figs. 4,6, and 7. Between the pivot O and the front end of the breech-block O isa transverse groove, a, which receives the extracting portion 0 when itis fully drawn back and the block G is brought into line with the barrelB.

The operation of this arm is as follows: To charge the arm the hammer isdrawn back to a half-cock, and the breech-plug is swung around, whichlatter operation moves back the extractor e. The cartridge is thenpartially inserted and its flange brought up The breech-block is thenmoved back to its place in line with the barrel, and in the act of doing this the cam-surface c forces the cartridge and extractor home andholds them there. The hammer is then full-cocked, and if it is notdesired to fire the piece at once the hammer is lowered to half-cock,which causes the device L to lock the breech-block in place and hold itthus until the piece is discharged or the hammer let down and againbrought back, to a half-cock. If the piece is not loaded the retractorwill remain back, and when the breech-block is moved into line with thebarrel the groove a will receive it, as above men-' tioned.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

1. A horizontally-swinging breech block,

horizontally-swinging breech-block, in combi-' nation with the arm 0 ofthe extracting portion 0, whereby the act of turning the breechblock 0out of line from the barrel B will extract the cartridge-shell.

4. The combination of the arm 0 pivot 8 segment 0, and notched extractorc with the vibrating breech-block G, substantially as described.

5. The combination of hammer segment or shank D, constructed withoffsets or projections substantially as described, the oscillatin'glocking-arm arranged on the shaft of the hammer, and controlled as setforth, and the breech-block 0, constructed to operate with thelocking-arm, whereby, when the hammer has been lowered to halfcock, thebreechblock is locked, and when the hammer is raised to half cock, afterfiring it, the breech-block is allowed to swing open to permit the armto be-recharged at half-cock, and after which the breech can be lockedby raising the hammer back of the half-cock, and the hammer againlowered to half-cock without unlocking the breech, substantially asdescribed.

6. The combination of the notch a and the notch y with one another andwith the horizontallyswinging breech-block O and the hammer D D,substantially as described.-

7. The recess n under the front end of the horizontally-swingingbreech-block, in combination with the extractor-tooth 6, whereby thesaid tooth is permitted to remain back and above the plane of the bedofthe breechblock, in a position to be acted upon by the flange of thecartridge whenever the breechblock is closed, before a cartridge hasbeen inserted into the chamber, substantially as set forth.

8. A horizontally-swinging breech-block, (J, with its axis of vibrationwithin the line of the cartrid ge-chamber and forward of the axis of-thehammer, when the same is locked and unlocked by an attachment of thehammer, which attachment is actuated by the usual necessary movementsimparted to the hann mer, substantially as described.

AUSTIN T. FREEMAN.

W'itnesses MoRRIs FIKES, ALEXANDER SMITH.

